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The biblical Psalms were meant to be sung. At the time of the Reformation in central Europe Christians sought to recover a place for the laity in the liturgy of the church. The best way to do this, they believed, was to render the biblical Psalter in the language of the people set to singable tunes. These webpages are devoted to one of the greatest of the sixteenth-century psalters, compiled over several decades, completed in 1562 and used in the city of Geneva as the principal liturgical book among the Reformed Christians there. The Genevan Psalter was the product of a collaborative effort among several people, most notably Louis Bourgeois, Claude Goudimel, Théodore de Bèze and the French court poet Clément Marot. Marot and Bèze's original French versifications of the Psalms have stood the test of time in the francophone world. The Psalms would eventually be translated into German, Dutch, Hungarian, Czech, Italian and, much later, Afrikaans, Indonesian and English.

PSALM 19 FROM GENEVAN PSALTER

Unfortunately the Genevan melodies, except for a very few tunes, did not catch on in the English-speaking world as they did elsewhere. This unfinished project represents an effort to make these marvellous tunes available to Christians throughout the world, along with appropriate texts. Posted below are eighty-five Genevan psalms, ten selections from my more recent Niagara Psalter project, twelve canticles from elsewhere in Scripture, and five extrabiblical hymns. The additional material is explained more fully in the comprehensive introductory essay written by the versifier, composer and arranger.

Clicking on the psalms, canticles and hymns listed below will lead to the versified text. Once in the text, clicking on the title or (in some cases) tune name will enable one to hear the music. Clicking on the PDF icon () immediately below will bring up a printable score. Those songs followed by * were added in the last two years. Pages have also been devoted to bibliographic sources, including psalters and books about the Psalter, an annotated discography, internet links and videos; and to a blog calling attention to updates to this site and to other psalm-related material elsewhere. Finally, there is a page containing a sample liturgy, based on a number of sources, showing the possible uses of the Psalms in the course of the ordinary worship service.

These pages are dedicated to the glory of God and to the service of his people. “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6)

Canticles

Extrabiblical hymns